Tadej Pogačar and Urška Žigart arrive home in Slovenia ahead of European Championships, despite injuries ruling them out of the racing

Despite injury ruling both Tadej Pogačar and Urška Žigart out of their home UEC Road European Championships, the couple have still headed back to Slovenia ahead of this weekend's road races near Ljubljana.

Having both returned to training in recent weeks, Pogačar and Žigart trained near the capital city alongside Danish rider Mikkel Honoré, who is fresh off the back of finishing 19th in the Road World Championships in Montreal, Canada.

He will once again be racing alongside sixth-place finisher at Worlds, Mads Pedersen, at the Europeans.

After his season-ending crash at the Vuelta a España on August 29, speculation returned this week about whether the defending men's road race champion Pogačar would, after all, be able to make it back in time from his neck and collarbone fractures and concussion to race on home roads.

But those rumours were ended on Wednesday, when the Slovenian National Federation revealed its line-up for the races, without Pogačar. The news came as little surprise after UAE Team Emirates-XRG boss Mauro Gianetti had already told La Gazzetta dello Sport, "His will to be there, it's easy to understand, but it's too early; health is priority, so it won't happen."

Pogačar made a rare appearance in the European Champion's white jersey on Honoré's Instagram story, with its blue bands and gold stars on show. He had worn the World Champion's jersey in races and training until last Sunday, when trade teammate Brandon McNulty succeeded him in Montreal.

The 196.3km race will pass near Pogačar's hometown of Komenda, before reaching the laps of the finishing circuit into Šenčur.

With Pogačar not defending his title, Remco Evenepoel (Belgium) will start as the heavy favourite, with Primož Roglič and Jakob Omrzel representing Slovenia's best chances in the absence of their and the sport's top rider.

For Žigart, it was a re-fractured jaw that has seen her miss out on the chance to represent her country on home roads. She sustained the injury during a crash at the Faun Tour Femmes, having already broken her jaw earlier this season at the Tour de Suisse.

Without her, Slovenia will be fielding a three-rider team for Saturday's road race: current road and TT National Champion Nika Bobnar, Špela Kern, and Tjaša Sušnik.

Having been unable to start in Ljubljana, it's unlikely we see either rider fully back in action until the start of the 2027 season. The last race which could entice Pogačar is, of course, Il Lombardia, where he has won the past five titles in a row, but with UAE's messaging ever since he crashed that recovery and health are the priority for their star rider, it would be a long shot to see him starting in Bergamo on October 10.

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